


La Belle Dame Sans Merci

by writing_and_worrying



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, I Don't Even Know, IM PROUD OF THIS, Kravitz is an idiot, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, This stuff is a mess, i guess this is kind of horror, oh well, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 14:19:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18054116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_and_worrying/pseuds/writing_and_worrying
Summary: Kravitz is a knight-at-arms who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and may fall under the thrall of an elf.It's probably worth it, though. The elf is beautiful.Title and general storyline from the poem by John Keats.





	La Belle Dame Sans Merci

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy this is an odd one!   
> If you like this then don't forget to leave kudos and comment your feelings! I really enjoyed writing this :)  
> For more of my stuff check out my profile!

_ _

The harvest was over. The air was icy. The work was done. Mist hung in the air like a damp dishcloth on an old clothes maiden. So thick that one could hold out a hand and have it disappear before one's eyes. It sailed along water like a choking cloud, and danced on land and stood still for days, then stayed for longer than that. Uninvited.

But it was no matter. The workers weren't needed for bringing in the harvest anymore, and people spent their days inside anyway. The world was on pause, it seemed, and there was a feeling of finality that held folks back during these winter months. Kept them docile. Tired. Dark. Stationary.

Kravitz, a knight-at-arms, was... bored.

Here he was, standing by a lake, staring blankly at his dark and enervated features in the still water. His shire horse was peacefully drinking from the death-cold tarn, her body built for it. Kravitz, however, was shivering. He felt the cold more than most- he assumed. So he was bundled in a layer of woolen clothing under his armour, and a thick shawl that covered his neck and shoulders. Furthermore, his legs had a second layer of fabric wrapped around them, thick cloth of some kind- very insulating, the vendor said.

Still, he shivered.

There he was, standing, when a silhouette made itself known in the fog. A faint shadow that Kravitz may have missed if he hadn't been so eager to end his own weariness. A figure. A person.

"Hullo?" Kravitz called into the mist. The figure shifted an inch. The figure was moving closer. The figure did not respond. Kravitz picked up his horse's reins, gripping them tightly and tugging. He had to be ready to run at the first sign of hostility.

"Hullo?" He tried again. Louder. A hint of panic rose up into his tone unintentionally. The figure was getting closer still. Their outline was becoming more and more defined. Kravitz shuddered, gripping the reins so hard that his knuckles were ghostly. The figure did not respond.

"Are- Are you an enemy of the king?" Kravitz cursed himself for stuttering. He felt useless, mind writing theories on what kind of man- or monster- could be behind the fog. Yet, he didn't run. He couldn't move. Frozen solid, like a dream. If this was an enemy of the king, they would be gifted with the easiest knight-at-arms to kill since the beginning of time. The figure did not respond.

Kravitz swore aloud when he dropped the reins on the floor. Had he not been holding them so tightly it hurt? He bent down to pick them up again. If only his legs would move the way his back did. His hands fumbled on the cold ground for a frantic second, but found the coarse, leather reins and caught them.

When he stood straight again, the figure was much closer. Kravitz jumped and backed up, legs still barely working. Maybe, somewhere in the back of his cruel, cruel mind, he didn't _want_ to move. Maybe he was morbidly interested in what could happen- a little like _memento_ _mori,_ he always was curious in what happened after death. And if this figure was going to kill him, so be it! He could not even fathom escaping now.

Breath heavy in his chest, Kravitz attempted to make out the final shape of the figure. It was so close now, the fog just barely covering it. He backed away slowly, matching the figure's own calculated movements. With a thud, his back collided with his horse. The figure stepped into view.

"Hail and well met, oh knight-at-arms," they said, voice soft and liquid. They were tall and humanoid, with long, white hair like the mist itself. Kravitz couldn’t tell if they were male or female or something in-between. But   
it didn’t matter. They had witch's eyes, one brown and one blue, contrasting against their sun-kissed skin. Their ears were long and pointed, decorated with beads and gemstones that shone in the white light. A long, white gown hung loosely on their delicate form. They were, well, beautiful.

"I- what? H-hail and... well met?" Kravitz managed to spit out, feeling idiotic. He wasn’t shaking anymore, he noticed. The air felt still and dense around him. The person (the creature?) laughed, showing off their sharp teeth and making Kravitz grimace.

"What's the matter? Have you never seen-"

"What are you?" Kravitz cut them off. He couldn’t see the lake, and he had dropped the reins again. How didn’t he notice that? He didn't care. His horse was gone. All he could see was the person, who staring at him with their beautiful, terrifying eyes.

"You don’t know?” They asked. Kravitz shook his head. The person smiled. It was an eerie smile that made his spine shiver. But it was a pretty smile too. Kravitz was sure that this person was very pretty. Why else would he be just standing there? Or, wait- was he unable to move? He didn’t know.

“I’m a… what would call me? Elf?" The person said. Their accent was strange, Kravitz was sure he had never heard it before.

"What?" He said, because that was the only thing he could say. The elf hummed and shook their head.

"An elf.” They said, more confidently, “Surely you've heard of elves?"

"No I- what makes you think that?" Kravitz replied, a sense of calmness washing over him. This was fine. This was _fine_.

"Your hair is like snakes. That's an elven style, I think?" The elf replied, running a hand through their own hair. Touching his own braids, Kravitz stared at the ground in confusion. What was he supposed to be doing?

"No? I did this myself.” Did he? He wasn’t sure. Was it his friend, his mother, or himself that styled his hair? Was it an elf? No. He’d remember that. Wouldn’t he? Kravitz couldn’t remember why he was here. There was a lake, wasn’t there? Where did it go?

“What is an elf?" He asked. His mouth tasted like sweet wine.

"I'm an elf," They said. Some sort of darkness was feeding into Kravitz’s vision. Who was this person? They had pretty hair. Nice jewellery. Shiny. Kravitz laughed. He laughed more at how airy his laugh was.

"What _are_ you?"

"An elf," The elf said, smiling, laughing with him. Kravitz looked down at their hand. They were holding some berries. Black? Nightshade.

"That's-"

"Don't think about it," they cut him off. Kravitz frowned. He wanted to tell the stranger about nightshade berries. They taste sweet, you see. Not a healthy snack though. Deadly, he had heard. The elf smiled. They had sharp teeth. No, Kravitz was probably just seeing things. He knew this person, right? Where was he again? Why was his vision going misty? Ah, because of the mist of course!

The figure, the shadow, held out a hand.

"Do you want to come with me?"

**Author's Note:**

> I might write a follow-up to this one if people like it. I'm still new to writing in styles other than "uwu highschool au" so constructive criticism is welcome!! Love y'all, bye!!


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